North Carolina Winter Weather Preparedness Week runs from November 29 through December 5. Topic 2 is the anatomy of winter storms. The following National Weather Service statement has been only slightly modified by me:
WINTER WEATHER IS THE MOST COMPLEX WEATHER PHENOMENA FORECASTERS FACE IN NORTH CAROLINA. WINTER STORMS OFTEN SEEM TO TAKE ON A CHAOTIC NATURE AS RAIN TURNS INTO SLEET OR SNOW. IT IS THIS HODGE PODGE MIXTURE THAT FORECASTERS CONTEND WITH MANY TIMES DURING THE WINTER SEASON AS THEY WORK TO KEEP THE FORECAST ON TRACK AND YOU PREPARED.
WINTER STORMS BRING SIGNIFICANT AND SOMETIMES RAPID CHANGES IN THE WEATHER WHICH GREATLY AFFECT OUR LIVES AND SAFETY. WINTER STORMS CAN DEVELOP AND LAST FOR JUST A FEW HOURS OR LINGER FOR DAYS. EVEN SMALL AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND ICE CAN CREATE HAVOC - AS RESIDENTS OF RALEIGH LEARNED ON THE AFTERNOON OF JANUARY 19, 2005, WHEN JUST A HALF INCH OF SNOW FROZE ONTO MAJOR HIGHWAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY. THE FREEZING OF THE SNOW ONTO THE ROAD SURFACE RESULTED IN HOURS OF GRIDLOCK STRANDING MANY MOTORISTS AND SCHOOL BUSES LOADED WITH CHILDREN FOR HOURS.
WINTER STORMS RESULT FROM A VARIETY OF WEATHER PATTERNS. NORTH CAROLINA OFTEN SITS IN THE BATTLEGROUND BETWEEN COLD AIR FROM THE NORTH AND WARM MOIST AIR FROM THE SOUTH. THE TIMING OF THE COLD AIR COLLIDING WITH MOISTURE STREAMING IN FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO AND ATLANTIC OCEAN TYPICALLY DICTATES THE TYPE OF PRECIPITATION YOU SEE FALLING IN YOUR BACKYARD. GEOGRAPHY ALSO PLAYS A LARGE ROLE IN OUR WEATHER. THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS OUR WEST AND THE WARM WATERS OF THE GULF STREAM JUST OFF THE COAST BOTH PLAY VITAL ROLES IN WITNER STORM DEVELOPMENT. THE MOUNTAINS ACT TO PILE UP COLD AIR OVER THE STATE WHILE THE WARM WATERS OF THE
GULF STREAM PROVIDE MOISTURE AND LOTS OF ENERGY TO WINTER STORMS.
THE MOST COMMON AND DANGEROUS WEATHER SYSTEMS WHICH CAN PRODUCE SNOW AND ICE ARE COASTAL LOWS - KNOWN AS NOREASTERS. NOREASTERS ARE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS WHICH DEVELOP OVER THE OCEAN AND TRACK NORTHEAST ALONG THE COAST. TEN YEARS AGO, IN JANUARY OF 2000, RALEIGH RECEIVED 18 TO 24 INCHES OF SNOW IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS DURING A PARTICULARLY POTENT NOR'EASTER.
For updated forecasts for eastern North Carolina, visit the wnct.com Storm Team 9 weather page.
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